Don't Underestimate Us
by FirstFandomFangirl
Summary: Takes place after Return of the Overlord. When Ness, Tellen, and Anna come back from seeing a movie, they find the Monastery trashed and all the heroes missing, kidnapped by an old enemy. How can they rescue them with just three ninja-in-training and a 5-year-old girl?
1. Chapter 1

**TIME FOR THE TRADITIONAL SHORT STORY WRITTEN BETWEEN THE MAIN ONES**

 **Anyone remember when someone requested something like this? Because I have no memory of who it was.**

 **Anyway.**

* * *

Chapter 1

"That was so exciting!" Ness cheered, throwing her hands up in the hair as she and the other two students exited the Ninjago City Movie Theater.

"Yeah!" Anna agreed with a grin. The three had just finished watching the new hit movie, The Super Crunchy Ninja Skateboard Party Movie with Pratfalls Slash Physical Comedy and Cute Furry Animals for the International Audience. Misako had graciously given them the money to buy tickets, since they had been tearing around the Monastery all day and were driving everyone absolutely insane.

"What was your guys' favorite part?" Tellen asked as they began the walk to the bus stop. "I liked it when they beat up the giant cyborg alien!"

"I liked the cute furry animals!" Anna chirped.

"I didn't have a favorite part." Ness shrugged. "I liked the fact that they were skateboarding for the whole thing!"

"Ha! Yeah! Ninjas on skateboards!" Tellen cackled. "Hey, I wonder if Lloyd can skateboard?"

"Seems more likely that Jay could." Ness shrugged. The three were quiet for a few moments as they walked.

"Sure was nice of Misako to give us money for tickets." Anna remarked after a moment.

"Yep. We should thank her when we get back." Ness nodded, sticking a hand in her pocket and jangling the remaining coins inside. "Hey… we've got some left over." The blond girl glances around, her eyes soon fixing on an ice cream shop across the street. "You guys thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Ice cream!" Anna cheered.

"Wasn't that for bus fare?" Tellen frowned.

"Who cares? We can walk home. We all know they were tired of us being crazy and wanted to get rid of us, they won't mind if we stay out a little later." Anna justified it.

"Good point." The brown-haired boy nodded. "Okay, ice cream it is!"

Don'tUnderestimateUs

"That was some good ice cream." Anna said dreamily, licking melted ice cream off of her fingers as she tried to keep her fiery hair out of her face with her free hand.

"It sure was!" Ness agreed. "And we're almost home! I see the trail to the Monastery up ahead!"

"And not a moment too soon." Tellen remarked, glancing at the setting sun. "It's getting late."

"Yep. But look at what a great view of the sunset we get!" Anna gestured to the brilliant sky with her sticky hands.

"It is pretty." Ness agreed. "I wonder if Sara will want to hear about the movie?"

"Let's not spoil it for her." Tellen shook his head. "Once it's on TV she can see it for herself."

"Okay." the blond girl nodded. The three were silent the rest of the way up to the Monastery, choosing to enjoy the sunset in silence as they walked up to the front door. Once they reached it, Ness knocked hard. To the trio's surprise, there was no answer. She knocked again. Still no answer.

"…maybe… they're all playing video games?" Tellen suggested. Ness shrugged, then tried the knob. It opened. The blond pushed the door open to reveal a disaster area. Objects were strewn across the floor, along with shattered glass and shredded paper.

"Uh." Anna said after a few moments, breaking the silence.

"What… happened?" Tellen asked slowly, voicing the question on everyone's minds. Ness shook her head.

"I don't know. Come on, let's go see if there's anyone here." Slowly, the three of them picked their way through the Monastery, avoiding shards of glass and broken objects as much as they could. The building was silent, other than the wind whistling through the broken windows. After about fifteen minutes, the three stopped at the stairs, having found nothing of use on the first floor.

"Hello?" Anna called uncertainly up the stairs. "Is anyone here?"

"Help!" The trio jumped at the sound of a voice, all three of them looking around wildly.

"Where'd it come from?" Ness whispered. The other two shrugged. "WHERE ARE YOU?" the blond girl yelled.

"Upstairs! In my room!"

"Who is that?" Tellen hissed.

"I think…" Anna trailed off for a moment. "I think it's Sara!" Quickly, the three ran up the stairs, skidding to a halt in the girls' room. It was Sara, alright. The little girl was sitting in a corner, trapped there by broken glass all around her. She had a couple cuts on her arms, too.

"Help!" Sara cried out again. "The window broke and now I'm stuck!" Motioning for the others to stay back, Anna bravely strode across the glass-covered floor, her shoes keeping her feet safe from the sharp edges. Once she reached the corner, she scooped Sara up before carrying her back out into the hall. Finding a clean spot on the floor, the redhead set the younger girl down.

"What happened?" Tellen asked as Sara rubbed at the cuts on her arms. "Where is everyone? What happened to the Monastery?"

"I got my arm hurt." The little girl replied, lifting one arm to show him.

"Right." Ness straightened up, taking charge. "Anna, go find Sara's shoes. Tellen, get the first aid kit. Once we put some band-aids on her, then she can tell us what's going on."

Don'tUnderestimateUs

"This girl just came out of the floor and started attacking." Sara kicked the ground to illustrate as the other three watched with interest. The four sat on the grass outside the Monastery, trying to avoid any more injuries than they had already gotten from the glass covering the floor inside. "She couldn't be hit except with lights, and she hit Lloyd and Gin so they fell asleep and couldn't fighting her. Then another girl crashed through the floor! She looked like a dragon!" The youngest girl threw her hands in the air for emphasis. "Everyone was fighting and shooting powers and breaking everythings, and Misako told me to run away and hide. So I ran upstairs and went in my room, then something broke the window and I was stuck. I starting asking for help, and the dragon girl came up. She told me to be quiet or the other girl would capture me. So I started being quiet and then you came back." Ness hummed thoughtfully, tapping her fingers on her chin.

"What do you mean the first could only be hit by lights?"

"Well, she, every time she got hit by something she turned into her shadow and it didn't hit her. Except lights. They hit her."

"Aha!" Tellen smacked his fist into his open hand. "A cyborg!"

"No, you doof." Anna smacked him. "It's that shadow powers girl, Tori. And the other girl must be Lea. She could use animal powers, remember?"

"Oh yeah…" the brunette blinked.

"And they kidnapped the others…" Ness mused.

"What do we do?" the redhead asked. "If they beat all the others by themselves, what can we do against them?"

"I don't know…" For a long time, the blond girl stared off into the sunset. Finally, she snapped her fingers. "Don't give up hope just yet, guys!" she ordered, a grin spreading across her face. "I… have a plan."

* * *

 **For clarification, no, this won't be soley focused on the kids. There'll be plenty of angst too. *that one Chara face***

 **and the kids don't have the best grammar**

 **that's on purpose**

 **anyway hope you enjoyed this**

 **~FFF**


	2. Chapter 2

**So I accidently got my flash drive stuck in a vase, being the genius I am. Until I get it out (or break the vase), I'll have to type these directly into the fanfiction window. Oh well.**

 **Doesn't really affect you guys, just an update on my brilliant antics.**

 **Review replies:**

 **KRR: Thanks.**

 **Ninjagirl: I move fast. ;)**

 **Ebony: Tori? Lea?**

 **LRFK: Really? You like Tori? Even though she's nuts about Lloyd? The operative word here is "nuts", though, so... I guess it's not that surprising. And they're not THAT young. Like, 10, 11, something like that. I'm sure it'll go fine. :)**

 **DraconisWinters: Thank you! I don't write younger kids that often, so I'm glad I did well. :D**

 **Time for my world-famous angst**

* * *

Chapter 2

"...ello? Hello? Is anyone else here?!" Morro awoke to a panicked voice, the owner of which he couldn't discern due to the pounding in his head. Where was he? What happened?

"I'm here..." he called out weakly, trying to sit up.

"Morro!" Now he recognised the voice, Lloyd. "Where are you? Are you okay?"

"I don't know. And, I think so." the ghost tried to stand, but something pulled on his wrists and forced him back to the ground. Looking down at himself, Morro quickly registered heavy black shackles on his wrists, chaining him to the wall behind him, as well as a pair chaining his ankles together and another cuff around his neck. Whoever had taken him prisoner was taking no chances. "What about you? Are you hurt?"

"No. My head hurts a little, but I'm fine." Footsteps echoed in the hallway outside. "Where are you? Can you come to your door?"

"No, I can't. I"m chained to the wall."

"Oh." Lloyd sounded surprised. "I'm not."

"That's not a surprise." A new voice, Jessica, spoke up. "Tori was the one who captured us. She wouldn't hurt - or even restrain - her _boyfriend."_

"Tori?!" the blond boy's voice was panicked again. "I- she-!"

"Hey, it's okay." Morro tried to calm him down. "Like Jessica said, she won't hurt you. The most she'll do is... maybe kiss you. But you'll be fine."

"I-I know, but... I don't want her being _near_ me. She freaks me out. Sh-she always said she was going to capture me and..."

"We'll get out of here. I promise." the ghost said firmly. "I don't know how, but-" His words were cut off by a door slamming open, the sound echoing down the hallway.

"So you're awake!" Tori's cheerful voice floated down the hallway, followed by her shoes clicking on the floor. Morro sat up as straight as he could, glaring out at her as threateningly as possible as she passed by. She only gave him a haughty smile in reply. After a moment, her footsteps stopped. "Why Lloydy! How nice to see you again!"

"Get away from him or I'll break your ribs." Jessica growled. Tori ignored her.

"I was wondering..." the blond girl continued, and Morro heard Lloyd's footsteps again. "If you'd like to join me for breakfast?"

"I'm not going anywhere with you." Lloyd said firmly.

"Oh? I think you are. You're gonna be happy to come with me." the villainess giggled, and Morro heard her footsteps again. "See this?" the footsteps stopped, and the sound of water sloshing around in a container echoed through the hallway. Oh no. "You seem pretty attatched to your ghost buddy, Morro. But I think he needs a bath. A slow... painful bath."

"No!" Lloyd cried out. "Don't hurt him! I'll come with you."

"No, don't. Lloyd, if she kills me, I'll just reappear in the Cursed Realm. I'll be free to come and rescue you. She won't dare let me go." Morro spoke up quickly. Lloyd was silent.

"Is that so?" Tori asked, sounding amused. "But, if you're gone, who's gonna protect your little girlfriend?" Morro's heart skipped a beat. Indigo.

"If you've hurt her..." He tried to sound threatening, but his voice sounded scared even to him. The blond girl snickered.

"Oh, she's fine. But if you ever want to see - or hear - her again, you'd better keep your mouth shut and let yourself be leverage." Morro stared at the ground. He couldn't do anything. Tori held all the cards. "Now, Lloydy..." the villainess's voice was back to its sweet, friendly tone, like it was before she threatened to hurt him. "What was that you said when I asked if you'd come to breakfast?"

"I-I said... I'll come with you." Lloyd mumbled.

"How exciting!" Tori exclaimed, and Morro heard the jingle of keys. "Come on, Lloydy dearest." As she pulled Lloyd back down the hall, Morro strained against his chains. No use. These were far too strong. As the door slammed shut again, Morro closed his eyes, lowering his head until it rested on his chest. There was no way out of this situation. What in Ninjago were they going to do?

Don'tUnderestimateUs

"Wait... you've known everyone's passwords all this time?" Anna frowned as Ness tapped away at one of the Monastery's computers. "And you didn't tell us?"

"Why would I?" Ness asked, sorting through Kai's emails. "You guys didn't need to know. Aha! Found it!" The blond girl clicked on an email, highlighting the email addresses of the recipients. "Neuro, Karloff, Ash." She announced, pointing to each one in turn.

"Do you think they can beat Tori and Lea?" Tellen asked with a frown.

"I think so. See," Ness began to type out a message. "Tori and Lea caught everyone by surprise, they had the upper hand. But when _we_ attack to get the good guys back, _we'll_ have the upper hand."

"Ah." the brunette nodded. "Makes sense." The other two students waited while Ness finished typing the message, then sent it.

"What did you say?" Anna asked.

"I said all the ninja got captured and we need help."

"Okay. So what do we do now?"

"The only thing to do." Ness leaned back in her chair, resting her head on her hands. "We wait."

Don'tUnderestimateUs

Morro jerked his head up at the sound of the door opening again, and saw Tori and Lloyd pass by his door. The blond boy looked shaken, but unharmed. Thank God.

"That was such fun, Lloydy." Tori chirped. "Care to join me again at lunch?" Lloyd was silent. "Yes? Oh, how delightful! I'll see you then!" The blond girl then opened Lloyd's cell, shoving him inside before locking him up again and walking out of the hall. Once the door clicked shut, Jessica spoke.

"How was breakfast?" She asked sarcastically.

"I didn't eat." the blond boy replied quietly.

"You should." Garmadon spoke up. "You need your strength in case she... tries something."

"Dad?" Lloyd said in surprise. "You're here too?"

"Everyone is." Misako said softly. "She got everyone."

"Except the students." Gin cut in. "They're not here. Or Indigo, but apparently Tori has her somewhere else."

"I saw her." Lloyd said abruptly. "Indigo. She- she's tied to a pole, gagged. Out in the main room."

"Is she hurt?" Morro asked, trying and failing to keep the worry out of his voice.

"I don't think so. She was awake when Tori and I were "having breakfast", and she didn't look hurt. Just scared and angry."

"Could you ask?"

"I don't think Tori would like that... but I'll ask her if I get a chance."

"Thank you." After that, the hallway went silent, and Morro was left to think. What were they going to do? The four youngest of them were the only ones still free, and there was no way they could take on Lea and Tori by themselves. And it didn't look like Tori planned to let them go anytime soon, or at all, for that matter. God, please get us out of here. Lloyd, if no one else. It couldn't be long before Tori decided to make him do more than force him to accompany her to meals. He didn't know what worse she planned to do, and he didn't want to think about it, but one thing was for sure: They needed to get out of here.

Fast.

* * *

 **jUST GOGOGOOGGOOGOOG GOTTA GO FAST**

 **I would've had this posted like... 8 hours ago, but I accidentally refreshed the page while typing it in and it deleted half of it since I didn't save in a while**

 **and I got tilted and spent 6 hours on tumblr instead of working**

 **and now I haven't done my spanish homework either**

 ***sweats***

 **imma go do that**

 **~FFF**


	3. Chapter 3

**Review replies:**

 **SnowyOwlAssassin: xD I'm glad I'm not the only one.**

 **LRFK: Yay! :D She is pretty nuts. xD And, my flash drive was stuck in the neck of the vase. I ended up just breaking it 'cause it was wedged in there. :P**

 **Samantha: Bleh. Tests suck. :P Hope you did okay.**

 **KRR: Hey guys. Long time no see. Happy Birthday KRR :D And I'm sorry about your aunt. :( I know it hurts to lose a family member. I hope you're doing okay.**

 **Ninjagirl8: "Freak" pretty much sums her up... xD And thank you!**

 **Ebony: Yep. A few of them. Neuro and Karloff are my favorite of the elemental masters, and I thought Ash would be intresting so I brought him in too. :D**

 **Windy: I kinda wanna write Jessica and Tori just fighting hand-to-hand... that would be intresting. I mean, Tori has powers, though, so she'd probably end up winning... Well, the vase in question has a really thin neck, so I usually just set my flash drive in it and it just sits in the top. However, this time it somehow got wedged in there and I couldn't get it out. So we smashed it with a hammer. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯**

* * *

Chapter 3

"…and, obviously, the three of us aren't strong enough to beat her." Ness finished. "So, what do you think?" Neuro, who was sitting across from her, hummed in concentration as he folded his hands together. It had been two days since the good guys had been captured, and the first of the backup, Neuro, had just arrived. The students had just finished filling him in on what had happened.

"I am not the only one you have called in for help, correct?" He asked after a moment. Ness nodded.

"We emailed Karloff and Ash too."

"Good. With them, we will heavily outnumber Victoria and Lea, and should be able to beat them. Do you know where they are?" The students exchanged glances.

"Uh… no." Tellen shook his head. "We were kinda hoping you could find them. 'Cause you have mind powers." Neuro frowned.

"It is possible, but I have never tried it from such a range before."

"Well, if you can't, we have no idea where we start." Anna pointed out. "So try. Please." She added to be polite.

"Alright." The older man lifted a hand to his forehead, closing his eyes. The three students watched excitedly as he was silent for a few, long moments, then opened his eyes.

"I could sense them." He announced.

"Woo!" Anna cheered, pumping her fist in the air. "Where are they?"

"I couldn't tell their exact location, but, they're somewhere in southeastern Ninjago City. I'm sure if I was closer, I could get a better idea of where they are."

"So all we have to do is get you to south-easter Ninjago City! Perfect!" Ness clapped her hands together. "But we gotta wait for the others first. I hope they get here pretty soon.

"Indeed." Neuro paused. "Is it really just you kids here?"

"Yep." Anna said with a grin.

"How have you supported yourselves? Have you been able to eat?"

"Oh, yeah." Ness pulled a credit card out of her pocket. "We found someone's credit card, so Sara and us go out to Benny's for every meal. Neuro chuckled.

"That works."

"Speaking of which, it's almost lunchtime!" Tellen hopped to his feet. "Wanna eat with us, Near-o?"

"I don't see why not." The master of the mind stood as well. "Someone should keep an eye on you."

"Cool! Okay. Let me go find Sara." With that, Tellen turned towards the Monastery, running inside to find the younger girl so they could eat.

Don'tUnderestimateUs

"…and I said, 'Your guns? Actually, sir, I stole them fair and square!" Tori giggled at her own joke. "And he said- hey. Lloydy. You listening?" The blond girl snapped her fingers and Lloyd jumped, tearing his eyes away from Indigo to look at her.

"No." he said, very bluntly.

"Hmph. You should." Tori narrowed her eyes. "Why do you keep staring at _her?_ " she gestured at the ghost girl tied to a pole. "What's so interesting about her? I thought you were dating the one brunette, not the ghost."

"I am. And, if you don't want me staring at her, maybe you should put her in the dungeon."

"…nnnnnnah. You'd just find something else to stare at." Tori shrugged, then took another bite of her food. A moment later, she spat it out. "Gah! This is disgusting!" She gasped. "Way too salty! Who is responsible for this?! I'll have them flogged!" Standing up, the blond girl stomped off. That worked perfectly. Lloyd emptied the entire saltshaker's worth of salt into his captor's food while she wasn't looking, rendering her food almost inedible and forcing her to leave the room. Now he could talk to Indigo.

"Indigo." He called softly, hoping Tori wouldn't hear him. The bound girl lifted her head, opening her eyes. "Are you hurt?" She hesitated, then shook her head. "Good." Lloyd smiled. "Morro's been worried about you." Indigo's eyes widened, and she looked down at the floor. "He's in the dungeon." Lloyd said, hoping he was interpreting her body language correctly. "He's fine, just almost as tied up as you are." Apparently he had, as her shoulders sagged and her eyes closed again. Just then, Tori reentered the room with a new plate of food.

"…lousy no-good chef…" the villainess muttered under her breath. Her comment made Lloyd remember his own plate of food, and he looked down at his plate, rising from which was a delicious smell that made his mouth water. He wanted to continue fasting, a tiny victory against Tori, but… Dad said he should eat. To keep his strength up. So, slowly, Lloyd picked up his own fork, stabbing a piece of meat and bringing it to his mouth. Tori watched with interest as he began to eat.

"Good to see you're finally eating." She remarked. "It would've been quite a shame if you had starved to death." She giggled. Lloyd didn't answer. For a couple minutes, they were both silent. Then the green ninja spoke.

"Tori, when are you going to let us go?"

"Oh, never." She replied without missing a beat. Lloyd's heart sank.

"Not even the others?"

"Nope."

"You're just gonna leave them down there forever?"

"Yep."

"Why?!"

"Because A, I need them for leverage to make you behave, and B, if I let them go they might come back and try to rescue you. And I can't have that, can I?" She giggled. The blond boy hesitated.

"Then… I have a deal for you." Tori stopped eating, looking up at him in interest.

"What's that?"

"I'll be your friend. I'll listen to your stories and laugh at your jokes. We can hang out and I won't stare at the wall and ignore you."

"Sounds good so far." She nodded. "What do you get out of it?"

"I want you to take Indigo down to the dungeon and put her in Morro's cell." Across the room, Indigo made a sound of surprise under the strip of cloth over her mouth. "And I want Jessica and I to be able to stay in the same cell." Tori narrowed her eyes.

"Oh. Right. You want to be all friendly with me, and then cuddle up with your little girlfriend? I don't think so."

"What's wrong with it?"

"I don't want that brat near you. She doesn't deserve you." The blond girl huffed.

"Like you deserve me any more?" Lloyd muttered under his breath. "You can not like it if you want, but these are my terms. Either accept them, or don't." Tori was silent for a while, staring at the table. Finally, she looked up at him and stuck out her hand.

"Deal." She agreed. He took her hand, shaking it across the table.

"It'll come into effect as soon as you bring Indigo to Morro." Lloyd stated, letting go and starting to eat again.

"Whatever you say, Lloydy." Tori shrugged, going back to eating as well. That worked well. Maybe he could earn her trust. If so, maybe, just maybe, he would have a shot at getting out of here.

* * *

 **Lloyd is what I call**

 **very**

 **salty**

 **;)))))))))))))**

 **also "Benny's" would be like Earth's "Wendy's" or something idk I just made it up**

 **~FFF**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sometimes life is just really weird.**

 **Review replies:**

 **Ebony: Yep, I think he's pretty cool too. :D**

 **SnowyOwlAssassin: Turn it in somewhere. I don't wanna be arrested for using someone else's credit card.**

 **Flufflepuff: Lloyd's probably the one who's least in danger right now... xD But yeah.**

 **Windy: Salty means like... bitter and sarcastic. xD I didn't personally smash the vase. My dad did it. Carefully. So he didn't break the flash drive. Maybe if I give Jessica her battle axe back...**

 **ninjachief: Thank you! :D**

 **Nicktastic: Indeed she is. And thank you! Tori is really a fascinating character, she was the first one who came to mind when I was planning this story. :)**

 **RosalinaWisteria: Kai's. xD It's an inside joke between me and one of my friends from a RP we had once.**

 **Samantha: No, can't say I have.**

* * *

Chapter 4

The next day, Ash and Karloff arrived at the Monastery.

"About time!" Tellen huffed when he answered the door. "We've been waiting for days! Anything could've happened to the Ninja by now!"

"Karloff does not like being spoken to rudely…" the metal master said, an edge of aggression in his voice. Tellen decided to watch his tone after that. After catching the two up on their situation, the sic began to devise a plan.

"Alright, here's the deal." Ness pointed down at the map on the table in front of her, solely for dramatic effect as she didn't actually know where the ninja were. "We outnumber them three to one. With Ash's smoke powers and Neuro's mind powers, we should be able to… I don't know. Distract them or something while Karloff beats them into the ground. Or go rescue the good guys and let them beat them into the ground. I haven't decided yet. We'll also have the element of surprise, since they're probably in a dark, creepy dungeon where we can sneak around easily. Maybe-" She felt a tap on her arm, and looked up to see Ash moving his hands. "What're you doing?" She asked with a frown.

"Ash is mute." Neuro explained. "He speaks with his hands."

"Oh. What's he saying?"

"He says 'what do you mean by that?'" Karloff translated.

"By what?"

"'Why do you say they're probably in a dark dungeon?'"

"Because bad guys always have dark spooky lairs! Duh!" Ness threw her hands up in the air. "If ten years of watching TV has taught me anything, it's that."

"You have to admit; she has a point." Anna shrugged. The three older men exchanged glances.

"…right." Neuro said at last. "Maybe I should make the plan."

"No, no, I got this." The blond girl assured him. "Anyway. It shouldn't be hard to get instead the lair. Once inside, we sneak around until we find Lea and Tori, kick their butts, then save the ninja and ride out of there like heroes!" Ness tossed her pencil up in the air triumphantly. "When do we start?"

"Ah… we may have to make a few arrangements first." Neuro shook his head.

"Like what?" Tellen asked.

"Like Sara. We can't just leave her to play in a glass-filled monastery while we're gone."

"Good point." Ness frowned. "Who could take care of her?" After a moment, Ash began to move his hands again.

"He says 'Chamille might be willing to take care of her'." Karloff translated again.

"Who's that?" the blond girl frowned.

"The Master of Form. If I recall correctly, she has a way with small children." Neuro said with a smile. "I'll ask her."

"Can you talk to her with your mind?" Tellen asked excitedly. The Master of Mind chuckled.

"No. I use a phone." He said, pulling said phone out of his pocket. "If all goes well, we can leave at sundown. You three should all go try to find some dark clothes to wear." The students exchanged glances, grinning.

"Oh, we might be able to find something." Tellen winked at the girls, who winked back. With that, the three stood up, running upstairs to get ready for their mission.

Don'tUnderestimateUs

Indigo crumpled to the ground as Tori cut her ropes, unable to catch herself since her hands were still tied together.

"Just get up." Tori ordered, her voice annoyed, as she slid her knife back into its sheath. Lloyd knelt next to the girl on the ground, taking her arm and helping her to her feet. "Now come on." The blond girl snapped her fingers as she set off towards the dungeon, and Lloyd followed, keeping a hand on Indigo's arm so she didn't fall. They were all silent as they descended the stairs, the only sound being their footsteps on the stone steps and the almost inaudible sound of Lloyd inconspicuously removing Indigo's gag and stuffing it in his pocket. At the bottom, Tori unlocked the door before pushing it open, letting it bang into the wall and startling everyone in the hall into silence. Their captor's face broke into a grin as she walked down the hall, motioning for the two to follow her. After a moment, she stopped in front of Morro's cell, unlocking the door before grabbing Indigo by the arm and shoving her in.

"In you go!" She said cheerfully as she slammed the door closed. Lloyd could hear the two ghosts whispering to each other. "Hmm." Their captor hummed after a moment. "You can go through walls, can't you?" Lloyd edged closer to see Indigo sitting on the floor next to Morro, a frightened look on her face. "And I'm not gonna bother going to find more deepstone. How about this: you don't ghost through the walls, and I don't roast your precious boyfriend alive. Or dead. Whatever. Capeesh?" Too stunned to answer, Indigo gave a tiny nod. "Good." Turning back to the hall, the blond girl grabbed Lloyd by the arm, dragging him down to the end of the corridor. In the very last cell was Jessica, who perked up at the sight of him. "Have fun making out! Or whatever." Tori opened the cell door, shoved him in so hard he fell down, then locked him up and stalked off.

"What a sweet and caring captor we have." Jessica remarked as she offered him a hand up. "How'd you get her to let you stay in here, though? That's something I really don't see her agreeing to."

"I made a deal with her." Lloyd replied, accepting her hand and dusting himself off.

"What kind of deal?"

"I said if she put me and you and Morro and Indigo together, I would act like I was her friend rather than act as if the very air she breathed sickens me." Jessica let out a snort of laughter.

"And she took it?"

"She does really like me."

"Apparently so." They were both silent for a moment before Lloyd sat down against a wall with a sigh. "How are we gonna get out of this mess?" Jessica was silent for a moment, and Lloyd could hear the sound of someone crying. Indigo?

"I don't know." His girlfriend said at last, sitting down next to him. "For now, all I want to know is if she's ever going to feed us." The brunette pressed a hand to her stomach. "After a few days, my stomach doesn't hurt as much, but I'd like to avoid dying here if I can help it."

"I'll ask her next time I see her. If all else fails, I can make another deal with her."

"Alright. But be careful." Jessica rested her head on his shoulder, and Lloyd felt his face heating up.

"I will." There was moderate silence in the hallway after that, and it didn't take long for the exhausted ninja to drift off to sleep.

* * *

 **Well they appear to be safe**

 **...for now.**

 ***that one chara face***

 **~FFF**


	5. Chapter 5

**tfw you take forever to type in the stupid chapter**

 **Review replies:**

 **SnowyOwlAssassin: Oh dear. I am very afraid.**

 **Nicktastic Productions: You got it :D**

 **ninjachief: Glad you're enjoying it :D What do you mean how to upload it? Like, literally how you do it?**

 **Samantha: That's an accurate description for her.**

 **Windy: She's nuts, but she's not _that_ bad. Now Lea, she's another story. :P**

* * *

Chapter 5

"Two days?!" Tellen exclaimed. "We have to wait _two days_ for her to get here?!"

"Unfortunately, she is on the opposite side of Ninjago." Neuro shook his head. "We'll be lucky if she manages to get here that quickly, she may take up to four days to get back." The mind master had just finished calling Chamille, who, unfortunately, was an island away from them.

"But we don't have two days!" Tellen despaired. "The ninja are in trouble _now!_ "

"Of course, we could always have one of you stay behind to watch Sara instead." Neuro suggested. Tellen and the other students exchanged glances.

"The ninja can wait two days." Anna decided.

"Yeah." Tellen agreed. "In the meantime, the three of us should go find our super cool ninja outfits!"

"Yeah!" Ness pumped her fist in the air, and the three ran upstairs. Once they were out of earshot, Neuro turned to the other two men.

"Do you think they can really help?" He asked.

"Karloff things they are in over their heads." The metal master shook his head. "They are just children. They can no fight as good as their enemies."

 _"I agree."_ Ash signed. _"But I think they can still help us, if nothing more than a distraction. They will not be in much danger, as Lea and Tori will undoubtedly target us as the main threat."_ Neuro nodded.

"True. Besides, you saw how they reacted when I suggested one of them stay behind. They really want to do this."

"Karloff thinks you are right." Karloff gave him a single nod.

 _"So do I. For now, we need to wait for Chamille."_ Ash signed. _"Wherever the ninja are, I hope they can survive that long."_

Don'tUnderestimateUs

"Wake up!" Lloyd awoke to a boot slamming into his side, and his head snapped up, tightening his stomach muscles in case he was struck again.

"Ow…" he mumbled, bringing one hand to his side.

"Get up, and shut up." A cold voice ordered. That was not Tori's voice. Slowly, he looked up to see Lea standing above him, her arms folded across her chest. When he didn't move, she kicked him again, this time harder. "I said get up!"

"S-stop!" He yelped, pulling his knees up to his chest to protect his stomach. "Stop kicking me! Or I'll wake up Jessica!" His girlfriend was sleeping right next to him, her head on his shoulder. Lea raised an eyebrow.

"And why should that concern me?"

"Because she doesn't have powers, which means putting her in a Vengestone cell doesn't take away her ability to kick your butt." Lloyd folded his arms. "Now leave me alone." Lea groaned.

"It's dinnertime. Tori sent me down here to get you." The blond boy hesitated, then sighed and stood up.

"Alright, I'm coming." The pain in his side was getting worse. She kicked him pretty hard. Slowly, a hand on his side, he followed her out of the cell and into the hall, waiting while she locked the door again. "Why are you working with Tori?" He asked after a moment.

"Didn't I tell you to shut up?" she snapped. Lloyd swallowed.

"Yeah, but-" He was cut off by a hand slamming into his stomach, slamming him up against the wall.

"I said _shut up!_ " She growled.

"Hey!" A hand reached out through the window of the cell next to them, grabbing the black-haired girl by the collar and yanking her up against the door as Lloyd doubled over, gasping for breath. "Don't you dare hurt Lloyd." The voice snarled. Kai.

"You- let go of me!" Lea hissed, struggling.

"Then don't hurt Lloyd!" After a moment, the animal master wrenched free, growling through the bars and revealing a pair of fangs. Behind her, Lloyd quickly made his way down the hall towards the open door. Tori wouldn't let her hurt him, would she? Halfway up the stairs, he heard a yell of rage from below. She must have noticed he was gone. Trying to ignore the pain in his stomach and side, Lloyd sprinted the rest of the way up, bursting out into the main room. He couldn't believe he was going to _Tori_ for help, but he had no choice. It was better than letting Lea beat him into a pulp. Tori appeared to be lost in thought when he opened the door, but looked up immediately when he entered.

"Lloydy!" She smiled, but it faded when she saw the expression on his face. "What's wrong?"

"Lea… Lea hit me." He panted, both hands on his side as he stumbled into the room. Tori stood up instantly, running over to him.

"I told her to get you, not _hurt_ you. Idiot." The blond girl muttered under her breath, pushing him over to the table and into a chair. Just then, the girl in question stormed into the room, an enraged look still on her face. "Lea!" Tori snapped, grabbing a newspaper off the table and rolling it up as she stalked over. "I am _very_ disappointed in you, you _clod_!"

"Don't call me that!" Lea sounded very offended.

"I'll call you what I like!" the blond girl snapped. "I sent you to bring Lloyd here, and you attack him!"

"Well excuse me! He was being a brat, refusing to leave his cell and bothering me after I told him to be quiet!"

"You think that's an excuse to hurt him?! Huh!" Tori hit her on the head with the rolled-up newspaper. "Bad Lea! Bad!" Lea stomped her foot.

"Don't treat me like an animal!"

"Then don't hurt Lloyd!" his captor shot back. "Or I'll do worse than hit you with a newspaper. If you lay a _finger_ on him again, I'll kick you out myself- _without_ paying you." The two girls glared at each other for a few, tense moments, before Lea groaned and walked away.

"Whatever." The animal master muttered as she stalked over into a corner, leaning against the wall. Once she was gone, Tori sat down in the seat next to Lloyd's.

"Are you okay?" She asked softly. Lloyd blinked. She actually cared? He knew she 'loved' him, but she had seemed she more wanted him in her possession than actually cared about his well-being or happiness. After a moment, he nodded.

"Sh-she didn't hurt me badly, just kicked me to wake me up and slammed me into the wall. I'll heal."

"Good." For the rest of the meal, Tori almost seemed… nice. She didn't tease him, or bother him, or order him around. She didn't talk much, just a comment here or there. Finally, she said, "Lloyd," This alone surprised him. She used his real name. "I know you don't think much of me. I'm just a crazy lady to you." Yep, that pretty much summed it up. "But I really do love you. And I do care about you." Lloyd was silent for a moment before saying,

"If you really loved me, you wouldn't keep me here against my will." She frowned.

"I guess your definition of love is different than mine."

Neither of them said anything for the rest of the meal.

* * *

 _ **Someone's**_ **got anger issues.**

 **~FFF**


	6. Chapter 6

**I leave for Hawaii on Tuesday**

 **heck**

 **Review replies:**

 **Kat: LabRatFlutieKat? Cool.**

 **ninjachief: Eh... one-sided love. :P**

 **Ebony: Yep. And Lloyd might be warming up to her just a bit as well.**

 **SnowyOwlAssassin: lol yes**

 **Nicktastic: Tori is hilarious to write. She's got just the right mix of personality and flat-out insanity. :D**

 **Glacier: I update randomly. :P**

 **RosalinaWisteria: Tori's definition is more of infatuation than real, deep love. Her "love" for him was partially just born of jealousy of Jessica, who got close to him while she and him weren't in contact. :P Yeah, the review box only lets you type in a limited amount of characters.**

 **Samantha: Tori's got some heart after all. *shrug* Happy birthday! :D**

 **Windy: Something screwy's going on with her...**

 **The Mayor of Ninjago City: SOMEONE'S gotta bail Lloyd out. :)**

 **I'll try to finish this story before I leave. :P**

* * *

Chapter 6

Morro looked up at the sound of the hall door creaking open, and heard two sets of footsteps. One was Tori's, the other was Lloyd's. After a moment, he heard Lloyd's door open, then close.

"Tori, wait." The blond boy's voice rang out down the hall. "What about the others?"

"I'll send some guards down with some food for them in a few minutes." The blond girl replied, then left the hall again.

"Here." Morro heard Lloyd say quietly. He didn't know who he was talking to. Probably Jessica.

"Morro?" The ghost looked down at Indigo, who was nestled against his side, at the sound of his name.

"Yes?"

"Do you think we're going to get out of here?" She asked, staring up at him fearfully.

"I know we will." He ran his fingers through her hair.

"How? How can you know that?"

"I just do. We've never been beaten before, right?"

"If we had been beaten before, we'd be dead." She deadpanned.

"We _are_ dead."

"What's your point?"

"I don't know." Morro chuckled softly. "Anyway. God wouldn't let Tori win, would he?" His girlfriend was silent for a moment.

"Probably not." She said at last.

"Exactly. No reason to panic, right?"

"Right." She rested her head on his shoulder again.

"Doesn't that get uncomfortable, trying to sleep on my chains?" He asked after a minute.

"Nah." Was her only reply. Just then, the hall door opened again, and at least three people entered the hallway. After a minute, in which Morro could hear doors opening and closing, an armored guard appeared, unlocking the door and throwing in a small loaf of bread. As soon as the door was closed and locked, Indigo scrambled to her feet, scurrying forward to snatch up the piece of bread before returning to Morro's side. Carefully, she tore it in half, giving one piece to him while keeping the other for herself. As his chains were long enough to let him reach his mouth, he lifted the food and took a bite. It wasn't the best he had ever eaten, but it was better than starving. Once the two had finished eating, Indigo snuggled up next to him again.

"Hey Morro?"

"Mmm?"

"I'm glad you don't have a crazy lady who's obsessed with you trying to kidnap you and get you to marry her." He chuckled.

"Other than you?"

"I never tried to kidnap you!" She protested.

"But you might."

"Dummy." She smacked him lightly. "I feel sorry for Lloyd." She went on, lowering her voice a little. "Trapped in here with one girl who wants to marry him and one who wants to beat him up."

"Wait, what?" The wind master frowned. "Who wants to hurt him?"

"Oh, right, you were asleep." Indigo blinked. "Earlier, Lea came to bring Lloyd to Tori, and when he didn't shut up when she told him to she slammed him into a wall." Morro scowled. What a coward. "Kai grabbed her through his window and Lloyd managed to escape. Tori must've helped him."

"She did." Lloyd piped up. He must've heard Indigo talking. "She lectured Lea for a while and then let me eat in peace. She almost seemed nice for once."

"Hmm. I guess I owe her one." Morro stated.

"I think, since she kidnapped us and locked us in a dungeon, she's already used it up." Indigo said bluntly. Morro chuckled.

"You're right."

"Tori's not _all_ bad." Lloyd interjected. "Just mostly bad." They heard a snort of laughter from Jessica.

"Yeah, I guess." Indigo closed her eyes. "I'm gonna try to get some sleep."

"Go ahead." Morro closed his eyes as well, leaning his head on top of hers. He hoped God would show them a way out soon. They had to, before any of them – especially Lloyd – got hurt worse.

* * *

 **This was sort of a filler chapter to go between the last chapter and them getting rescued. That is, the rescue attempt. :)**

 **Also, those of you who read _Despair_ , it's gonna have 3 or 4 more chapters before it's finished. :P Just a head's-up.**

 **~FFF**


	7. Chapter 7

**it's been a long day**

 **my neighbors are moving and I've been carrying heavy things around all afternoon**

 **that vacation is looking better and better lol**

 **Review replies:**

 **ninjachief: Ahh thank you! I'm glad you like it so much! :D Looking forward to your update. I don't think I'm completely caught up, I don't remember... oh well. I'll check when I get a minute. :P**

 **The Mayor of Ninjago City:** **¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ You should know by now that rescue plans _never_ go off without a hitch.**

 **Glacier: *dabs* and no, I didn't know that. That is cool. :D**

 **Nicktastic: ...heck. I forgot about that request. ^ ^' Thanks for reminding me. xD**

 **so much is going on in my life asgdsahd I hope I'll be able to plot out most of the next book in the series by the day I leave, so I can start writing while I'm gone.**

* * *

Chapter 7

"Ness, can you tie my hood?" Anna asked, tugging on the ends of the piece of cloth she had wrapped around her head. The blond girl nodded, stepping over and tying the hood in a tight knot. Tellen, whose hood was already in place, finished tying his shoes and straightened up to look in a mirror.

"We look _sick_." He declared. After a three-day wait, Chamille had finally arrived, and the three students were getting ready to go rescue the ninja. The three were dressed in black from head to toe, the only other color being their eyes where they peeked through the mask.

"We sure do." Anna agreed. "Come on, the sun's setting. We should go."

"Right." Ness nodded, and the three tromped down the stairs. Neuro, Ash, and Karloff looked surprised at the sight of their ninja outfits.

"Impressive, aren't we?" Anna said as she did a twirl.

"We'll be like shadows. They won't know what hit 'em." Tellen did a karate kick to demonstrate.

"…I see." Neuro said after a moment. "Let's get going."

"Bye!" Sara yelled from the next room. "Have fun beating up bad guys!"

"You too!" Tellen yelled back, ignoring the adults exchanging bemused glances.

"Alright, guys, follow me." Ness ordered, heading over to the doorway. "Neuro, can you detect where the ninja are?" The grey-haired man closed his eyes, pressing his hand to his forehead.

"That way." He said after a moment, pointing towards the right side of the city.

"Then let's be off! Fall in, troops!" Ness waved her hand authoritive. "Backup ninja team, move out!" With that, the six headed off towards Ninjago city.

Don'tUnderestimateUs

"This is definitely the place." Neuro said in a low voice, gesturing to the warehouse in front of them. Ness frowned, rubbing her chin thoughtfully.

"Ash, can you go inside and make sure there's no one in there?" She whispered after a moment. The smoke master nodded, turning into a wisp of smoke and vanishing through a crack in the door. A moment later, it opened, and the elemental master gestured to the large, empty room.

"Wait, I thought you said they were here." Tellen hissed to Neuro.

"It seems they are below us." The telepath whispered back. "Look for a door or hatch." The six split up, searching the room. After a few minutes, Karloff whistled to get the others' attention. When they came over, he pointed to a large hatch in the floor, hidden behind a large stack of boxes.

"Good job, Karloff." Ness whispered, eyes sparkling. "Ash, can you check ahead for danger again?" Ash nodded, slipping through a crack in the hatch. A moment later, he came back, reforming himself before signing rapidly.

"He says 'there is two guards on stairs'." Karloff translated. "'We must move fast so they do not raise the alarm'."

"Right." Ness frowned. "Okay, here's what we're gonna do. Ash, you go down and wait on the stairs below them. We're gonna knock on the door, then when they come up and open it Karloff is gonna punch them in the face. If they're still awake when they get to you, hit them on the stairs or something. Comprende?" The others nodded. "Good. Let's do this." Ash dissipated into smoke again, vanishing through the wooden hatch. After a moment, Ness knocked lightly on the door. She heard surprised voices, then the hatch creaked open. The first guard to stick his head up got a metal fist in the nose. The other one opened his mouth to shout as the first tumbled down the stairwell, but Karloff's other fist in his face prevented any sound from making it out. There was a thud from below, then silence other than the students' hysterical giggling. Ness peeked into the hole to see Ash standing over the two unconscious men with his hands on his hips. When he saw her watching, he gave her a thumbs-up, which she returned. Then, slowly, the six crept down the stairs into Tori's secret lair.

Don'tUnderestimateUs

"Now we go left. Or, wait, right. Wait, have we been here before?" Ness frowned, staring at the fork in the hallway in front of them.

"Geez, why does this lair have to be such a maze?" Anna grumbled.

" _All_ evil lairs are mazes, silly." Tellen pointed out.

"All _cartoon_ evil lairs." The redhead shot back. "I had hoped real life would be different."

"Cartoons _are_ real life, don't you-"

"Alright, screw being stealthy." Ness interrupted their argument. "Neuro, where exactly is the ninja's… uh, signal, coming from?" The elderly man paused, then pointed to the left where the wall met the floor. "Right. Karloff, start smashing. We'll go directly to them." Ash began signing again.

"'Won't that send every guard in the area, plus Lea and Tori, in our direction?'" Neuro translated.

"We can take them." Ness slammed her fist into her open hand. "Besides, if we get to the dungeon fast enough, Karloff can smash all the ninja out and they can help us fight." The three men exchanged uneasy glances, but finally Neuro nodded.

"Alright. Karloff, smash away."

Don'tUnderestimateUs

Lloyd nearly jumped out of his skin when Karloff smashed through the roof of his cell.

The blond boy and his girlfriend scrambled out of the way as the metal master tumbled into their cell, followed by Neuro, Ash, and three small figures dressed in black ninja outfits. The six figures lay on the floor in a heap for a moment before one of the small ninja popped up and pointed at him.

"We did it!" The child cheered in a familiar voice. "We found you!"

" _Ness?_ " Jessica exclaimed in shock. "What in Ninjago- how are you here?"

"We're here to rescue you!" the second ninja, Anna, piped up. "After we found you gone, we called Neuro and Karloff and Ash, then came here to bust you out!" Lloyd gaped at her. The _students_ had done all _this?_

"All them." Neuro confirmed. "Ness did all the planning, Tellen organized us, and Anna took care of the outfits."

"That is… really impressive." Lloyd ran a hand though his hair, a grin spreading across his face. "Karloff, can you get us out of this cell?"

"Karloff has no powers." The bearded man shrugged from where he lay on the ground underneath the rest of the rescue party. "Vengestone."

"Oh." The green ninja frowned. "Well, there's a hole in the ceiling. Climb back up there and smash a new path into the hall."

"Karloff has got it." Karloff stood up, sending everyone on top of him crashing to the ground, before jumping up and climbing back into the ceiling. A moment later, he smashed his way into the hall. Drawing his fist back, the metal master grabbed Lloyd's door, crumpling it like paper, and ripped it off its hinges, tossing it to the side. Instantly, Lloyd dashed out of his cell, assessing the situation.

"Karloff, get everyone else out, quick. Tori and Lea and their guards will be coming."

"EVERYONE STEP BACK!" Karloff bellowed, as everyone was watching from their cells. As they backed away out of sight, Karloff began to move along one wall, smashing each door in as he passed it. At the end of the hall, he turned around and did the same on the other side. Lloyd could hear yelling and footsteps from the stairs.

"Someone barricade the door!" he yelled as he did a quick count of everyone flowing into the hallway. Morro and Indigo were missing. That's right, the former was chained to the wall. Quickly, he checked each cell, getting to almost the end of the hall before spotting him. "Karloff!" he yelled as he ducked into the cell. "Are you two alright?" he asked in a quieter voice as he slid to his knees next to them. Morro nodded.

"We're fine. Are you?"

"Yeah." Just then, Karloff appeared in the doorway. "Can you get these off without hurting him?" the blond boy asked, gesturing to Morro's chains. The metal master knelt next to them, fingering the chains.

"Karloff can break the chains, not the cuffs." He said at last.

"Do it." Reaching forward, the older man ripped Morro's chains apart with ease, freeing him from the wall. The first thing Morro did was lean forward and wrap his arms around Lloyd, hugging him tight.

"I'm glad you're alright…" he murmured as the green ninja hugged him back.

"Same here." Lloyd gave him a final squeeze before pulling away as a loud thud reminded him of their situation. "Come on, we need to get out of here." He pulled the ghosts to their feet as he turned to leave the cell. He didn't make it out, however, as the way was blocked. By Tori.

And she looked mad.

* * *

 **¯\\_(ツ)_/¯**

 **Does anyone have an idea for the title of the next book? I'm stumped...**

 **If y'all wanna help me get a title, PM me for plot details, since I don't want to spoil anything for those who don't want it. :P**

 **~FFF**


	8. Chapter 8

**Well this is exciting. I leave in 15 hours...**

 **Review replies:**

 **Ninjachief: Yeah, I mean, she's outnumbered like 8 to 1 and this time she doesn't have surprise on her side... so... she could be outta luck *shrug* And your writing doesn't suck, trust me. Mine is good because writing is one of my gifts. :D**

 **Nicktastic: Tori bird: *points fingers at eyes, then at the ninja, then disappears mysteriously into the shadows***

 **Ebony: We'll see ;)**

 **The Mayor of Ninjago City: smh Tori, always getting in the way.**

 **Samantha: I mean... most crossovers I would be fine with. But not with fnaf. I've never played it, but I browsed the wiki once and then had night terrors for weeks. So I think I'll avoid that. ^ ^' I might write a crossever someday, though.**

 ***dabs***

* * *

Chapter 8

"Well, well, well, well, well well well well." Tori twirled the knife in her hand casually. "Look what we have here. An honest-to-darn escape attempt."

"Get out of the way, Tori." Lloyd growled, raising his hands and trying to summon a ball of light. It didn't work, of course. Vengestone. But that meant Tori couldn't use her powers either.

"Why should I? We had a deal, remember? You agreed to be my friend." Tori jabbed a finger at him.

"You don't have my friends anymore. I don't need your permission to be with them." Lloyd shot back. "The deal is off."

"The deal is _not_ off." Tori put her hands on her hips. "You made a promise. Good guys are supposed to keep those, aren't they?"

"I didn't make any promise!" the blond boy threw his hands up in the air. Was she trying to stall him? "But- fine. I'm your friend. It's _because_ I like you that I don't want to be with you."

"That doesn't count." Tori folded her arms. "Fine. If you won't come willingly…" The blond girl stepped out of the cell, and Lloyd realized too late that she was free of the Vengestone's effect. He ran towards her, but the cell was filled with inky blackness and he stopped short. The green ninja tried again to materialize an orb of light, but again it didn't work. He heard Indigo scream. Where was Tori?!

"NINJA, GOOOOOOOOO!" a shrill voice yelled, and a spinjitzu tornado lit up the room, revealing Tori pinning Indigo to the wall. Immediately, Morro yanked the blond girl away, throwing her to the ground as he stepped between her and his girlfriend. The darkness dispersed, and the spinjitzu master in the center of the room slowed to a stop. Anna!

"Ugh..." Tori pushed herself up onto her arms with a groan. "Oh _come on_. It was the perfect plan."

"Not quite perfect!" the redhead chirped. "C'mon out, guys. The others've cleared up the guards and Lea, and it's safe to come out."

"It's not fair!" Tori screamed, slamming her fist into the ground. "I did everything perfectly! I took every detail into account! All I did was miscalculate the intelligence of those stupid kids!"

"And someone find some Vengstone chains for her." Anna gestured dismissively to the blond girl on the ground before walking out again. Morro grabbed a pair on the ground, pulling Tori's hands behind her back and chaining them together.

"Lloyd, please." The shadow master begged as Morro pulled her to her feet. "I did this for you. For _us_. Don't let them lock me up." Lloyd hesitated for a few moments, not meeting her eyes. Finally, he looked up at her.

"You didn't do this for 'us'. You did this for yourself." He said, keeping his voice emotionless. "I'm sorry, Tori." Averting his eyes, Lloyd walked past her out into the hallway. As he glanced around to survey the damage, he was pulled into a tight hug from behind. Surprised, he twisted around to see his father smiling down at him. "Dad!" His face lit up as he hugged him back.

"You're not hurt, are you?" His father asked, holding him at arm's length to examine him for injuries.

"I'm fine." Lloyd replied, glancing around the hallway. Lea was chained up too, fortunately.

"These two are going in Krypterium." Neuro announced as Tori was marched out of the cell. "With a life sentence."

"Good riddance…" Lloyd muttered, turning away to avoid Tori's sad gaze. "Anna, Ness, Tellen," he addressed the students, who turned towards him. "This was all you. I'm proud of you guys. You were thrown into an insane situation with no experience or anyone to help you, and you figured it out all on your own. You guys are the real heroes here." Anna whooped at his praise, and Ness and Tellen high-fived.

"Can we be official ninja now?" Tellen asked excitedly. Lloyd hesitated.

"…not yet. But this definitely counts towards it." The three exchanged glances.

"That's good enough for now." Ness decided.

"Great." Lloyd grinned. "Alright, do we have everyone?" There were murmurs of affirmation. "Great. Then let's go home."

* * *

 **This is definitely 100% the last chapter. Nothing more coming. At all. Especially if I don't find time to do it.**

 **~FFF**


	9. Chapter 9

It was that girl's fault.

Tori lay against a wall in the dark cell, her dirty hair over her face as she stared at her shackled hands. Lloyd's girlfriend. "Jessica". It was her fault that Lloyd didn't love her. That- that witch was controlling him. She would rescue him. Somehow.

The shadow master rattled her chains, willing a shadow in the far corner to bend to her command. Nothing. Cursed Vengestone. It didn't matter, she had escaped here once, she could escape here again. Then there was only the matter of how to get rid of the girl.

Maybe… maybe she could use the brat's charm against her. With her as her prisoner, there was nothing Lloyd wouldn't do for her…

A rat squeaked in the corner, and Tori's head shot up. Slowly, she uncurled her head, revealing a handful of crumbs.

"Hey little friend." She cooed softly, sprinkling the crumbs on the ground. The filthy creature squeaked again, scuttling forward to take the food before vanishing into the corner. "Don't worry, I won't hurt you." She purred as it came back out for more. "And maybe… maybe we can help each other."


End file.
